Sefko: Mavericks definitely new, but are they improved?

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Here is a sample of beat writer Eddie Sefko’s story on the new-look Mavericks roster.

From history-making Mavs: If routinely winning 50 games and earning a championship during a five-season stretch is stale, then bring it on. But there is no denying that Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry had gotten a little predictable. Everybody in the NBA knew what the Mavericks were going to look like when those three were on the floor. And the league had figured out how to beat that trio.

To mystery Mavs: Every year, there is a wild-card team in the Western Conference of the NBA, a squad that nobody can quite figure out. For the first time in more than a decade, the Mavericks are that team.

Will new pieces fit puzzle? Now, there is nothing about the Mavericks that can be said with certainty. They don’t know how the backcourt of Darren Collison and O.J. Mayo will mesh. They don’t know if center Chris Kaman can stay healthy. They don’t know if Elton Brand, Dahntay Jones, Brandan Wright and rookie Jae Crowder can provide enough front-court depth.

Wide range of possibilities: It’s clear that the Mavericks have a wide swing of possibilities in front of them. They could be pretty good. Or they could find themselves struggling in a top-heavy Western Conference in which the Lakers are the clear second choice to defending conference champ Oklahoma City.